


A Teddy Picker Picks The Right Path

by Eyebrows_Of_Erwin



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Im a sucker for Loki and Peter Parker, Kid Peter Parker, Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, Loki has restricted magic, Odin is a bitch, Pepper Potts is Loki's second mom, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Slow Burn, Teen Angst, Teen Loki, The Avenger's become Loki's family, The Avengers (2012) Never Happened, Thor is a big softy, Tony Stark is Good With Kids, dad Loki, de-aged loki, loki is trying his best, marvel AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-01
Updated: 2019-05-31
Packaged: 2019-11-07 08:20:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17956988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eyebrows_Of_Erwin/pseuds/Eyebrows_Of_Erwin
Summary: Marvel AU, The attack on New York never happened, Loki is a Teen and Peter is a toddler.Loki escapes to Earth after another quarrel with Odin. He finds refuge among the mortals, blending in among the primitive species. He was merely surviving, living off of the half-decent pay check he was receiving through the Stark Internship. It is when he stops the murder of a child that he finds himself struggling to sustain himself, but he realizes what it's like to no longer survive, but to live.I do not own any of the Marvel characters. The story is mine.





	1. What's this? A Child?

“Heimdall!”

A voice called out from the Rainbow bridge, the sound of feet pounding against the beautiful floor growing closer. Heimdall turned around from his position at the entrance of the Bifrost, coming face to face with Loki who’s pale face had a light blush on it from exhaustion. Running across the entirety of the Rainbow bridge seemed to have tired the teenager out, but it did nothing to extinguish the anger and heartbrokenness visible in the prince’s eyes. Loki stood there catching his breath, but Heimdall already knew what he was there to do.

“It is Midgard you seek, if you intend to run away.” Heimdall looked down upon the boy who gazed up shocked.

“You are encouraging that I run away? That’s quite unexpected coming from you Heimdall.” Loki pushed pass Heimdall, heading inside the Bifrost and to the spot where he would be sent away from this place. Heimdall followed after him and climbed up the steps before inserting his sword into its rightful slot.

“It is not my choice to make, and I would rather you go to Midgard than to a Ravager’s Tavern. The king will already know of this as soon as you are gone.” With that Heimdall’s grip on his sword tightened and he readied himself to open the Bifrost.

“Ah, just one more thing before I go. Do not let my father come after me or send anyone after me, I will be hostile towards any forces sent to retrieve me.” The prince’s voice grew husky and dark, his anger boiling to the surface at the thought of his father. That wretched, old man would constantly throw him to the shadows, focusing on Thor’s achievements and ascension to the throne. Not once had he ever received any sort of praise from the man who was suppose to be his father. His life was restricted by the constant mantra of “No, Loki”. His being reduced to something that should be shunned and hidden away. If the king was not going to acknowledge him as a son, then what good would it be to remain on Asgard. There is nothing for him here.

“I must warn you, do not underestimate these mortals, not all of them are compassionate.” The older man spoke cautiously before turning the sword and opening the Bifrost.

Loki let out an amused chuckle and responded.

“What is a mortal to a god?” He said as the rainbow lights absorbed his being and transferred him to Midgard.

\----

Loki awoke to the sound of the pile driver outside his apartment, the rumbling of the Earth shaking his window and disturbing his sleep. Not like he got much anyway. It was a miracle that he was even able to “rent” out this apartment, as the humans called it. He had managed to get a fake U.S citizenship through the process of some...questionable people and with that he was able to find a source of income and living space. His “legal” name was “Tom Hiddleston”, which led him to believe that he could’ve just put his real name on the document and no one would have had a second thought. Although his body and face were still maturing, he still looked too young to be an eighteen year old male. On top of that he couldn’t even make himself appear older as Odin had placed a spell upon him soon after leaving Asgard which restricted his magic.

“A punishment, I suppose, not even million miles away am I able to embrace my magic without Odin intervening.” The teen grumbled, rubbing his eyes as he sat up in bed.

The apartment itself was small, which was fine since he was the only inhabitant of it. A window with guardrails on the outside of it was placed towards the east facing the sunrise, a dull reminder of the gleaming sun on Asgard. Loki snarled at that thought, grabbing the closest thing to him, which happened to be an empty picture frame that was there when he moved in, and chucked it at the wall. The cheap plastic cracked upon impact, small shards exploding in different directions. The prince sucked in a sharp breath, pushing down the fire in his chest to the corners of his mind and body. 

The clock beeped next to him, reminding him of his responsibility that was his job. He quickly threw on a white button up shirt with a pair of black slacks and dress shoes as he fixed his hair in the mirror on the wall. It was growing longer, perhaps he should cut it, but he’ll worry about that later. Very speedily he brushed his teeth and rushed out the door, getting breakfast on his way to work - well, more like his job as an intern with Stark Industries - all the interns got stuck being Pepper Potts personal assistant, and those who managed to keep up with the busy woman were granted a job at the company. It had decent pay since apparently interns on Earth usually did not get paid, he had no value for money, he just needed to survive.

Loki spent his day sitting through meetings with Ms. Potts, taking notes and following her around like a dog who’s lost its owner. He actually didn’t mind Ms. Potts as much, growing quite fond of her these past two months he had been interning here. She had a kind aura to her and her patience seemed unlimited, only to be tested by the one and only Tony Stark. She had reminded him of his mother, graceful, yet fierce, and having to deal with men who “rule the world”. Human arrogance, it suited their primitive species.

“I shall be taking my leave Ms. Potts, is there anything else that needs to be done before I head out?” Loki called out from the desk he was leaning against. 

The kind woman smiled at him, “Nope, you’re free to go Tom,” ah yes, Tom, that’s who he was to them. He still had to get used to that.

His walk home was not very eventful, stopping by a barber shop to get a haircut before continuing on his way. The area he lived in was not the safest, but he could hold his own with the tiniest bit of magic he had left.

As he passed an alley he could see in his peripheral vision a couple getting mugged, wasn’t anything new. He was about to keep walking before he heard the blood curdling scream coming from the alley followed by gunshots - was that a child crying? - Before he knew it he was standing in a pool of blood that wasn’t his own, looking down at the couple who were clearly dead, the male stabbed in the chest and the woman shot to death. And there they were, the thieves-turned-murderers, digging through the couples belongings. One of the thieves, which had a thick, but tall stature was now headed towards the crying toddler, about ready to silence it forever. Loki summoned his daggers threw one into the temple of the male, reducing him to a crippled sack of meat. The other thieves attention turned to him, he - no she - this thieve was a female. She stopped what she was doing and immediately stood up, setting the aim of her gun towards Loki. The prince smirked, humans and their primitive weapons, luckily he had enough magic available to hide his battle armour. His corpse shimmered in a golden light, his work clothes shifting into something more appropriate for this occasion. The woman fired a bullet in his direction, it ricocheting off his armour and flying in a different direction. Loki inched closer to the woman, about ready to steal the life from her eyes when her attention turned to the still crying child. Loki saw this and made an attempt to reach the child but she was closer. 

She picked up the child and held up the gun to its head, “Don’t fucking move or I’ll blow this bastard’s brains out.” She shook the child for emphasis, the boys face flushed with tears. He hadn’t actually seen what the child looked like, but now he could see that the boy had chocolate brown eyes, his wavy hair matching his eyes. He could be no older than four years old. Loki frowned at the woman.

“Watch your language, there are children present.” The god took a small step forward, which was not what the woman wanted.

“I swear to god I will kill this annoying fucker, I killed his parents didn’t I?” Her finger tensed around the trigger but the shaking of her hand betrayed the look in her eyes.

Loki moved in a blur, grabbing the woman’s wrist and crushing it, catching the gun as it fell from her grasp. He managed to wrangle the child out of her hands and pushed her up against the wall, the gun now underneath her chin.

“Humans, you’re all the same, talk big, but when it comes to taking action…” Loki’s breath was cold against her neck which made the woman shiver.

“You lack conviction” The gun went off before she was even able to respond. He watched her body slump to the floor before turning to the child. The boy was staring at him with a far off look in his eyes - he must be suffering from shock - Loki quickly scooped up the child in his arms at the sound of police sirens growing closer. His first thought was to leave the child with the authorities, but he’d seen how the children were treated in foster care. Loki had a weird feeling in his stomach, one of grief for this - this human - he couldn’t quite grasp it, but he wasn’t going to leave this child to the failed system the humans have created. 

“Put your hands up!” A voice called out from the end of the alley. The police had arrived - I’ve already used enough magic for tonight, I’m not sure I will be able to muster anymore - regardless, he ignored that thought and summoned the last bit of magic available to him and concentrated on his apartment, attempting to teleport there with as much magic as he could tap into. 

Instantly his surrounding changed, the sounds of shouting policemen no longer filling his ears. He set the boy down on his bed and discarded his armour. The boy just seemed to be looking up at him with strange familiarity, a look in his eyes that showed some sort of trust to the teen standing in front of him. 

Loki collapsed onto the bed next to the boy, feeling the effects of using more magic than he had.  
The two sat in silence for a few moments before Loki spoke. “Can you speak?” He asked in a soft tone. The boy nodded but didn’t respond. At least he understood what Loki was saying. 

“Can you tell me your na-”

“Peter.” The boy quickly said before shutting his mouth.The sudden outburst made Loki raise an eyebrow.

“Peter?” Loki asked. The boy simply nodded. 

“Well, Peter, My name is…” Loki trailed off, - what should the boy call him? Tom was his fake name but he’d just saved this kid’s life. Perhap some trust was needed - 

“My name is Loki, can you bathe yourself on you own?” Loki questioned, and when the boy didn’t respond he rose to his feet and sighed, knowing his answer.

“I suppose I am going to bathe you myself.” Loki mumbled quietly - what was he thinking? He doesn’t even know the kid, let alone what he’s going to do with him. There’s only enough space in his apartment for one person, and his income couldn’t possibly support the new human occupying his bed. - That was a thought for another time, right now he had to make the child as comfortable as possible. 

After he had given Peter a bath, he managed to conjure a sweater large enough to cover the boy’s entire body. It was kind of cute how the sleeves were so long that you could no longer see his hands - by the gods Loki what has gotten into you, only a year on earth and you’ve gotten soft - Loki shook his head, slapping the thought away. 

The boy - correction, Peter - got comfortable in Loki’s bed, yet refused to go to sleep. Peter’s eyes never left Loki, as if he was afraid he would leave him. This caused a dull ache deep within Loki’s chest, like an old wound reopening. Suddenly a spark of anger surfaced and Loki’s face turned into a snarl - you weakling, you fool! You’ve become vulnerable - Loki calmed himself down when he realized he had started shaking with anger, breathing heavily. Peter’s gaze on him had a sliver of fear hidden in those rich, brown eyes of his. 

“What? You know I thought on Earth it’s considered rude to stare.” Loki snapped at Peter, causing him to flinch. The teen sighed.

“My apologies… I’m still getting used to this whole ‘acting human’ thing I’ve got going on.” Loki said aloud, technically talking to no one - hopefully the boy will be in a more chipper mood in the morning, he wasn’t liking this whole silent treatment act he was receiving - What was he thinking? The boy just witnessed both his parents murdered only to be abducted by a teenage god, of course the boy would be silent with shock. He wouldn’t even be surprised if the boy went mute from trauma, from what he could tell the human mind is very fragile, especially for a child his age. 

Once Loki was sure Peter had fallen asleep, he moved to clean himself up. There was dried blood on his face from when he shot the woman in the face, he hadn’t even felt it splatter onto him. Nonetheless he washed himself up and changed into a loose fitting, long sleeve shirt with sweatpants, it wasn’t like he hadn’t been exposed to blood before.

When he returned to the room he could hear soft whimpers coming from the tiny bump underneath the blankets.

“Peter, it’s okay, you’re safe here.” Loki cooed to the boy as he climbed into the bed himself. As soon as his figure hit the mattress, tiny arms were around his neck, clinging to him like a lifeline. Peter had tears running down his cheeks and his body was shaking. Awkwardly, Loki placed an arm around him, bringing Peter closer to him chest - just like mother used to comfort me - A small smile crept across his face at the fond, yet sad memory. The dull ache in his heart had returned, Peter and him were not so different in retrospect. 

Peter’s breathing had deepened and evened out, the once wet tears now dry against his cheeks. Hopefully the nightmares would not plague his innocent mind.

“Sleep well, Peter.” He whispered into the boy’s hair which no longer smelled of grime and blood. The god closed his eyes and let all the tension from before leave his body. Before he finally fell asleep, he heard the smallest voice whisper.

“G’nigh Mr. Loki.”


	2. Look at the telly!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asgard is missing its prince and Peter wonders about his parents.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very sorry if this chapter seems slow, It's mostly filler to increase the bond between Loki and Peter, although there are a few plot points which push the story forward. Hope you enjoy!

The Asgardian people questioned Odin about the disappearance of their Prince, yet Odin refused to answer to their curiosity. He was devastated by the fact that Loki had run off, but he knew Loki was safe on Midgard, as Thor’s friends - _ the “Avengers” they called themselves _ \- had been keeping an eye on the teen due to Thor’s request. He had also requested that Heimdall have a watchful eye on the poor boy. Odin hoped for his son’s return, but deep down he knew that Loki had placed himself amongst the mortals for a reason, a reason that still remains out of his reach. 

 

The people most affected by Loki’s sudden disappearance was Thor and Frigga, as both of them held Loki dear to their hearts. 

 

Thor checked in with Heimdall everyday in hopes that Loki would have contacted the guardian of the Bifrost in order to bring him home, which everyday resulted in the same answer from Heimdall.

 

“Loki has not attempted to contact me, though he does miss Asgard, his heart yearns to be home, Thor, give him time,” The guardian would respond say with his rich, deep voice. 

 

\-  _ Time, that’s all Loki needs, He’s smart and perfectly capable of taking care of himself… Maybe I should visit him, bring him some Asgardian Ale, -  _ Thor knew the answer to this as well. He could practically hear Loki’s voice yelling at him. 

 

\-  _ I left because of you, you witless oaf! I am constantly thrown to your shadow and you dare come visit me? I’d be happy if I never saw you again! - _

 

Thor somehow had managed to push away those thoughts as they brought nothing but pain to his heart. He loved his brother, no matter how much Loki seemed to hate him.

 

Frigga had pleaded with Odin, asking him to lift the spell which put confinements on Loki’s magic. 

 

“No, Frigga, if he wishes to live among the mortals, he shall be vulnerable like one,” Odin would respond, which ended with Frigga gazing at him with sadness in her eyes before retreating back to her living quarters. 

 

She too had been in touch with Heimdall and asked of him to notify her of any dangers that Loki was facing and any unusual behaviour from Loki, but from what she heard from Thor, Loki was surviving, living a normal life like a mortal. So it may have come from a surprise to her when Heimdall had told both her and Thor that, Loki had brought in a child to his home.

 

“Loki had never been one for children, are you sure we are not to go to Loki and tell him this is a bad idea?” Thor questioned the two others in the room with him. His mother remained silent while Heimdall spoke.

 

“He has grown attached to the boy after saving him from be murdered, he feels as though he had no other choice.”

 

“Why not give the boy to the authorities, surely they can find a suitable home for him,” The god of thunder said.

 

“No, Loki is better than that,” Frigga butted in, “The Midgardians, they haven’t the best system for orphaned children, Loki knows this, and he also knows what it feels like to not be loved,” The queen’s voice grew solemn, her heart heavy with despair. 

 

The three sat in silence, a thick tension rising in the air before being broken by Heimdall.

 

“I must return to the Bifrost as it remains unguarded,” He stood from his seat, “Do not worry, your Highnesses, I will continue to watch over Loki and shall anything happen to him, you two will be the first to know,” Heimdall bowed to the two persons of royalty.

 

The stress visibly left Frigga’s body, her shoulders relaxing a bit.

 

“Thank you Heimdall.”

 

“And a thank you from I as well, Heimdall,” Thor added.

 

Heimdall nodded and exited the room, leaving the queen and her son alone.

 

Frigga turned to her son, bringing him into her embrace.

 

“I miss him too, but we must have hope that he shall return under good circumstances,” The mother whispered into her son’s ear before placing a kiss on his forehead.

 

Thor pulled away and looked down at his mother who’s eyes held sorrow in them.

 

“I’m sorry mother, it’s my fault Loki has run away,” The god managed to choke out before becoming silent again. 

 

The queen shook her head and caressed his cheek, “It is not your fault, Thor, it is the negligence of a king that has caused this,” She embraced him once more before stepping away.

 

“And what will father think of this?,” Thor asked.

 

Frigga exhaled deeply.

 

“Your father will come around, just as Loki will.”

 

\--

 

He hadn’t known what time he had woken up or what exactly  _ had  _ awoken him, but he had the strange feeling that it was the child who was laying beside him - _ and he won’t stop staring. - _ Peter with his big, brown, innocent eyes was watching him sleep -  _ or had been watching him sleep, had he not been woken up with the feeling of eyes staring at him -  _ Loki debated trying to fall back asleep, but decided against it when he felt the mattress shift next to him and soon a finger was poking at his cheek. 

 

“Do all Midgardian children do this? If so, I may start regretting my decision of taking you in,” Loki said as he opened his eyes. He turned his head and saw Peter staring up at him. The child seemed startled that Loki had been awake and wasn’t completely sure if he was mad at him for poking his cheek. Peter pulled back his hand and curled in on himself, deciding to lay on his side with his back facing Loki - _ Great job Loki, look at what you’ve done -  _ Loki let out a deep groan.

 

“I was only joking Peter, I’m sure we’ll be fine together... unless… you know... a relative of yours somehow pops up and demands custody of you,” There was a hint of what was it? - _ disappointment Loki, you’ve become attached and it’s not even a day with the child -  _ What was he thinking? He couldn’t keep the boy, there must’ve been  _ someone  _ who was related to him and would want him, but he couldn’t help the small pain in his chest from growing at the thought.

 

“Let’s watch some tv shall we? Perhaps there are some midgardian cartoons that will entertain you,” The teen sat up in bed and grabbed the remote on the nightstand next to him. The tv wasn’t big and he had only gotten it to keep away the boredom, midgardian daytime - _ soap operas -  _ is what they were called were actually pretty entertaining despite the horribly basic plot and over-dramatic music and acting. 

 

Peter had sat up to the thought of watching tv, deciding to lean against Loki’s arm as his tiny hand reached down for Loki’s own. His fingers mindlessly played around with Loki’s hand and fingers as he looked at the tv, watching Loki skip through the channels. A flash of Peter’s parents in a photo appeared on the screen before changing to a different channel. 

 

Peter’s eyes widened as he scrambled out of the bed and ran to the tv, “M-Mama! Papa! Mama n’ Papa!,” The toddler pointed to the tv, jumping up and down. Loki did as the toddler was trying to tell him and flipped the channel back to the news. It was a news report on the murder of Peter’s parents - _ oh dear, this will not end on a happy note Loki. -  _ The reporter kept droning on about the details of the crime scene.

 

“According to police reports, it is that the couple Richard and Mary Parker were robbed and murdered here last night on their way home, the murderers, Clint Markus and Gabriella Valencia were also found dead at the scene, suffering from lacerations to the head and gunshot wounds, the person responsible for these injuries has not been identified…” Loki let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding - _ so the police hadn’t seen his face, Good -  _ at least he could continue to hide amongst the mortals for a while longer. 

 

Peter’s tiny frame had started shaking and Loki could hear sniffling coming from the boy, making him get up and kneel behind Peter as he placed his hand on his shoulder. Peter tensed at the touch and turned around, about ready to start screaming.

 

“Mama! I want my mama! Where’s my mama!?,” Peter shouted at the top of his lungs as he began to fully start crying. 

 

Snot was coming out of his nose and his eyes were clouded with tears. The sight of the distressed boy made Loki’s heart clench. In attempt to comfort the boy, Loki tried to pull Peter into his embrace only for the toddler to begin squirming and flailing around in his arms.

 

“I want my mama! Bring me my mama!,” Peter continued to shout.

 

Loki had managed to keep Peter from hurting himself but it only ended with the toddler’s face buried in Loki’s chest, his tears soaking his pajama shirt. After about ten minutes the boy had finally calmed down, but Loki knew there was still hurt in Peter’s innocent heart - _ he’s too young to understand death, how am I going to explain this to a child? -  _

 

Loki’s thought was interrupted when he felt something wet and warm seep into his trousers. Quickly, but gently, he pulled away only to see that - _ the boy has wet himself, probably from crying that hard, children do have tiny bladders -  _ A few quiet hiccups escaped from Peter as he looked down in shame at what he’d done.

 

“It’s alright Peter, I’ve got it taken care of,” The prince stated matter-of-factly as a green glow emitted from his hand, and like that the mess was gone and both him and Peter had new clothes covering their body. That caused the boy to smile in amazement and thanks.

 

“Again Again! Glowy thing again!,” Peter smiled up at the teen.

 

“Alright Alright, but I can’t do much since my father prohibits me from doing so,” Loki explained with a hint of venom in his voice, not towards Peter, but towards Odin.

 

With the wave of his hand, a transparent green bird, resembling a crow, appears in the room. The bird flies around the room before landing on Loki’s outstretched finger. Loki holds the bird towards Peter, who giggles and taps the head of the bird, completely mesmerized with the animal. Loki waves his hand again and the bird disappears, the only evidence of there ever being a bird in the room is the forest green feather in the palm of Loki’s hand. The god let the feather float above the two of them before exploding into a cloud of green dust, which lands on Peter and causes him to sneeze. Peter’s face changes and the boy looks more at peace, his eyes clearer than they were before - _ hopefully this dust will help you forget the events of last night. - _

 

That was all the magic Loki had available to him, he had simple parlor tricks along with being able to conceal his armour, but that was about it. He couldn’t duplicate himself or create any convincing illusions, he had tried over this past year to find the extents of his magic. It resulted in every illusion he made being a transparent green just like the crow had been. 

 

Loki was snapped out of his thoughts as he phone rang - _ what time was it? Had he really lost track of time to entertain a child? He had other, more important responsibilities to attend too, such as his job -  _ And Loki had guess correctly, it was Ms. Pepper Potts herself calling him - _ probably to ask why he has neglected to show up to his internship. - _

 

“Hello?”

 

“Hi, yes Tom is everything alright? You hadn’t showed up to today and you didn’t call in sick, I was a bit worried something might’ve happened to you,” Ms. Potts quickly explained with sincerity. 

 

_ \- She had been worried for him? -  _

 

“Ah yes, sorry about that Ms.Potts I had a rough night last night and something came up, my deepest apologies for my absence,” The god of mischief replied. Peter was staring up at him, seemingly wanting to know who he was talking too. 

 

“No worries Tom, I’m glad you’re safe after the news this morning,” Her voice carried on heavily, grief-stricken.

 

“Yes...I heard, it’s very tragic...I’m sure they were good people,” His voice went low in response, “If it’s not a problem with you Ms. Potts, I would like to resume my internship tomorrow.”

 

“Sure, that’s fine Tom, have a good day.”

 

“You too, Ms. Potts,” The prince hung up the phone, sighing heavily as he turned to Peter, who, by the way, had gotten bored of listening to Loki and decided to start jumping on the bed. - _ A true child. - _

 

“Now what am I going to do with you?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah another chapter and it's barely the second day?! I couldn't hold my excitement for writing this story that I had to post the second chapter today. Frigga and Thor miss Loki, Peter misses his parents and Loki misses Asgard and his magic, everyone needs a hug. Also don't worry!! Ill be putting Aunt May in soon, Im excited for the interaction between her and Loki. Kudos and Comments appreciated!


	3. The Crow in the Window

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki attempts to get Peter's legal documents, but instead has an encounter with a woman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter back to back! This chapter actually does move the plot forward, which is why it's kind of long. Sorry about that! Hope you guys enjoy!

“Richard and Mary Parker…” Loki mumbled mindlessly to himself.

 

It was about ten at night and Peter was sleeping soundlessly in Loki’s bed. The god of Mischief had left the comfort of his mattress in order to attend to some research.

 

With it being a month since he took Peter in, Loki’s resources had run dry. He wasn’t sure if he could continue paying for a babysitter and then there was the problem of Peter’s education. The toddler had proved himself to be brighter than most Midgardian children and while it was a good thing, it also led to trouble as his curiosity usually got the better of him. 

 

The problem was, Loki was not Peter’s legal guardian and therefore could not enroll him into what the Midgardian’s called “ _ preschool”.  _ He also didn’t have any of Peter legal documents and Loki wasn’t sure he could afford to buy a forgery for the boy or conjure one up for him without the actual documents. 

 

So now Loki found himself skimming through a yellow pages - _ it had taken him ages to find one -  _ and was now searching for Richard and Mary Parker in hopes of “ _ visiting” _ their home and retrieving Peter’s legal documents. He found his goal towards the back of the book, writing down the address and closing the yellow pages. 

 

He rose from his seat at the kitchen table and conjured a black sweater and black pants to cover his frame, along with the transparent, green crow.

 

“Watch over the boy, let me know if he wakes, but do not let him leave this apartment or know that I am gone,” Loki whispered to the crow.

 

The bird nodded it’s head in response and flew quietly to the bedroom, sitting on the lamp cover to keep an eye on Peter. Once Loki was satisfied with Peter’s safety, he made his way down through the fire escape, making sure to lock the window behind him before jumping down to the ground with a soft  _ thud.  _

 

It had taken him a while to arrive to the house, as it was on the other side of town and was in a much nicer neighborhood than his  _ \- perfect for raising a child, perhaps if he still had time he could attempt to steal some valuables from the neighboring houses -  _

 

Loki surveyed the area first, checking to see that all the neighboring houses had their lights off and that their cameras were disabled with the help of his magic. Loki walked up to the house, only to find that the door was unlocked  _ \- the police must have raided the house to gather evidence, hopefully they hadn’t taken the legal documents -  _ Though, he still kept his guard up, summoning his daggers as he entered the house.

 

The inside matched the outside, very warm and welcoming, a soft atmosphere to be in. The air was stale, but the faint scent of apple cinnamon still lingered. Though, something seemed off about the house. -  _ Why are there missing pieces of furniture and photos? Surely the police wouldn’t need to take furniture for evidence. - _

 

Loki hovered around the living area, looking at the mantle of the fireplace where family photos of Peter and his parents sat happily together, frozen in that moment forever. The aching pain in his chest resurfaced as he took the picture frame into his hands, cautiously wiping the thin layer of dust that had accumulated. - _ The greediness of mortal’s has destroyed a perfectly happy family -  _ Loki’s hands had begun to tremble as the stinging in his eyes increased. -  _ The one thing you couldn’t have, and now it was ripped away from someone else, a child nonetheless -  _ The teen breathed in deeply, calming down his now racing heart.  _ \- focus, you are not here to weep for yourself or for Peter, stop being a child and grow up! Those childish fantasies of yours have never and will never be true. - _

 

Loki blinked away the tears and set the picture back on the mantle of the fireplace. Now, where is the most intimate place in a house?  _ \- the bedroom _ ,  _ that’s where most mortals keep their information, which he had found out by watching all those mindless soap operas. - _

 

He made his way up the stairs and into bedroom, analyzing his environment. - _ The bed is made, though there are two dips in the mattress, one deeper than the other -  _ Loki inched his way closer to the side of the bed with the larger dip and lifted up the mattress to find a stack of one-hundred dollar bills on top of a manilla folder.  _ \- Perfect! This was too easy! -  _ He grabbed the manilla folder and in it was indeed, the birth certificate of one Peter  _ \- Benjamin? -  _ Parker, in it as well was the boy’s social security number and passport - _ apparently they had taken Peter abroad since not many children as young as him have passports. - _ Loki closed the folder and debated leaving the stack of money, but decided against it -  _ I will need some form of currency to sustain Peter and I for another week before I get my paycheck. -  _

 

The teen was getting ready to leave when he heard the front door open - _ had he not locked it?! You fool, now you’re going to get caught! -  _ His breathing turned shallow, not wanting to let whoever had entered become aware of his presence. 

 

He could hear the light footsteps of the person making their way around the living room. -  _ Could be a woman, or a thin male, but their steps are quick and short, definitely a woman. -  _ Loki conjured up another bird and told it to watch the woman from the living room window. The bird did what it was told and sat on the window sill, getting a perfect view of the woman.

 

From what he could see, the woman looked about early to mid forties and had a graceful look to her. Her long, brown hair was frizzled and her face seemed to have a look of longing on it, sorrow clouding her puffy, red eyes. -  _ She must be a relative of Peter’s, but why come here so late at night? -  _ And Loki realized the one thing that had been bothering him the entire time he had been here. No wonder the house was left unlocked, and why there were missing pieces of furniture and photos. -  _ She’s moving all the items out, probably to sell the house, how had he not noticed that she was here? She must’ve been outside putting whatever she had grabbed from the house, into her car while he snuck in. - _

 

Now was his chance to leave before she discovered him. Loki hastily opened the window as quietly as he could before climbing out of it and jumping down to the ground, a twig snapping beneath his feet. -  _ Oh just perfect Loki, now you’ve alerted the woman of your presence, by the gods you must really be living in a cliche midgardian film. - _

 

The teen cursed beneath his breath as the bird that had been watching the woman was now telling him that the woman had, in fact, heard the twig snap and was heading outside to investigate. -  _ These mortals, don’t they know you don’t investigate a suspicious sound!? -  _

 

A shaky and hoarse voice called out, “Hello? Is someone there?”

 

\-  _ This woman must really be an idiot. -  _ Loki took her words as a sign to start running, which he gratefully took that warning. The god started sprinting away, but it only caught the mortal’s attention. 

 

“Hey! You there! Get back here!,” The woman shouted at him but he did not let up.

 

It wasn’t until a strong gust of wind blew the manilla folder out of his hands, the contents flying in different directions. Loki’s heart stopped.

 

“ _ No! _ ,” The teen cried out.

 

Loki tripped over his own feet as he attempted to change direction in order to catch the fly away papers. That was not a good idea. His head slammed into the pavement. He could hear his pulse rushing in his ears and the feeling of blood seeping out of the gash in his forehead. The feeling soon ended when his head suddenly felt heavy and his attempts to stand up failed. 

 

He could hear a concerned, yet confused voice over him. His head was swimming and black dots danced across his vision, the looming threat of passing out growing closer.

 

“... Hey!...Stay with… Hey!...  _ Hey! _ ...” The voice continued to shout at him but whoever it was kept cutting in and out. 

 

There was a brief moment where he saw the woman’s face above him and he knew he had been caught, but the woman’s worried face was soon replaced by darkness as he succumbed to the heaviness in his head.

 

\--

 

Loki let out a groan when he came to. He could no longer feel the blood on his face and the throbbing pain in his head was at a minimum. He could feel a couch underneath him, his head on a pillow.

 

\-  _ Wait, where was he? - _

 

The teen slowly opened his eyes, his pupils adjusting to the dim light that was coming from the lamp next to him. Loki attempted to sit up but that proved futile after the sharp pain in his head demanded that he lay back down. A pair of thin hands gently pushed him back down onto the couch. It was the woman.

 

“Be careful there, you hit your head pretty hard when you fell,” The older female said to him.

 

He was not one to argue with her, but the events prior to him passing out came flooding back, causing the pain in his skull to increase. Panic filled his being and his eyes widened with fear.

 

- _ The documents, Peter, I have to get back to Peter, I - _

 

“Hey, Hey… It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you,” The lady reassured him, he could tell she wasn’t lying since being the god of Mischief and Lies came with the perks of detecting other people’s lies. 

 

“Where am I? How long was I unconscious?,” Loki asked, his voice loud in his ears.

 

“You’re in the house you were stealing from, and you passed out about ten minutes ago,” She replied with a somewhat snark tone.

 

“And why aren’t we at the hospital? My head feels as though it’s splitting into two,” The teen winced as his fingers gently grazed the bandage on his head.

 

“Well, an ambulance ride would blow out your wallet, which I know is fairly empty since you were stealing from this house, so consider this an act of kindness and be glad I haven’t called the cops on you,” The woman gave him a cheeky smile, but her smart tone betrayed her face.

 

Loki groaned, at least the woman wasn’t going to turn him into the authorities. He focused his magic into healing the gash on his forehead and to ease the pain rocking his head.

 

“Why were you stealing Peter’s legal documents?,” The woman questioned, her soft voice no longer holding any hint of the kind woman he was talking to a moment ago.

 

Loki found himself without an answer, his silver tongue had tied itself into a knot and had failed him. He laid there, mouth agape and his eyes blinking rapidly. The woman just looked at him with a scowl on her face.

Finally, he managed to let out an answer.

 

“I was there…” He said breathlessly. It caught the woman off guard and a perplexed look cover her face.

 

- _ Wow, great choice of words Loki. - _

 

“What do you mean?” She questioned.

 

Loki swallowed harshly, his mouth suddenly dry, “The murder… I was there that night...They were already dead when I found them… I… I had managed to save Peter…” The teen said, barely above a whisper.

 

The woman’s face fell and tears sprung to her eyes. A wave of emotion crashed over her as she cried. And there it was again, the growing pain in his heart filling up his chest with a great intensity. He could feel the hurt radiating off of her, but there was also a hint of relief in the midst of the sorrow.

 

“I… I was just so worried for Peter,” a pause, “...The police hadn’t found him that night but they just assumed that he-” another pause, “that he had been killed in a secondary location by the person who had killed the thieves…” Her tears seem to stop after that as her eyes widened in realization.

 

“That was you… wasn’t it?...” She asked, her voice fragile.

 

Loki simply nodded, for once in his life afraid of what a mortal might do to him. She had suffered a tremendous loss, that made her unstable, which, in turn, made her somewhat dangerous.

 

“Is he okay? Please tell me he’s okay,” She pleaded.

 

“Peter is safe, I’ve been taking care o- oof!,” Loki huffed, startled by the arms around him.

 

The woman was now hugging his frame tightly, her tears staining his black sweater. He didn’t bother returning the hug as his body was still paralyzed with shock. She pulled away.

 

“Thank you so much for taking care of him… I’m sure he was happy to stay with you,” The woman said before frowning, “I’m sorry, I never introduced myself… I’m May Parker, Peter’s aunt.” May explained.

 

- _ Ah, so she was a relative… Good, at least Peter has some family left. - _

 

“Ah, I’m Tom, it truly is a pleasure to meet you, even under such circumstances,” Loki replied with a hint of a smile on his face.

 

- _ What are you doing Loki? A mortal is enough to bring you joy now? You’ve gone mental! - _

 

The woman -  _ May -  _ was now smiling down at him. The way the lines on her face creased when she smiled reminding him of his mother. 

 

“You know, you never did answer my question directly,” May told him. 

 

He chuckled, “I needed his legal documents to enroll him into a preschool, he’s a very bright child, and I do not think I can continue paying for a babysitter,” Loki let out a deep sigh, his response earned a small laugh from May.

 

“I don’t think that will be a problem anymore,” May reassured him, but the tone of her voice only brought heaviness to Loki’s heart.

 

\-  _ She’s going to take Peter away, of course she would! She’s his aunt, why would she leave her nephew with a struggling teenager!? - _

 

Loki inhaled sharply, “Right… Shall we return to my apartment so that you may see Peter? Do not worry, I left one of my crows with him,” He stated as he sat up from the couch.

 

May raised a questionable eyebrow at the last part of his sentence, but didn’t question the teen.

 

Loki’s body was tired from focusing what little magic he had into his injury, but he would manage. With the help of May he got to his feet and they made their way out the door, making sure to lock it this time.

 

The teen couldn’t help the dreadful feeling arising in his stomach as they drove their way to his apartment. He could sense the bile threatening to make an exit through his mouth but he forced it back down.

 

_ \- It’s a mere child Loki, a mortal on top of that, it will be over in a heartbeat, do not grow attached to these pointless beings. - _

 

The god of Mischief hardened his heart once more, mentally telling himself to forget about these mortals. They were beneath him, he was a god, a prince.

 

- _ Wrong again, Loki, you’re no longer a prince of Asgard. - _

 

He could practically hear Odin’s voice, and by the gods how he wanted to forget about that old man. He too would soon cease to exist, and Loki would only return to Asgard once that day had come to pass.

 

They parked in front of his apartment building and made their way up the stairs to the third floor where he resided. Loki fished out the key from his pocket and opened the door for the two of them. 

 

Deep down in the back of his mind he was self-conscious of his apartment.

 

\-  _ This is no place for a child! Now she is really going to take Peter away and never let him see Peter again. - _

 

The guards around Loki’s heart had failed him and his pulse sped up at the thought of Peter leaving. He would miss the child, he was the only consistently happy thing in his life and he wasn’t sure if he could let that go.

 

Loki led her to the bedroom where Peter was still soundly sleeping. The toddler looked at peace snuggled up in the iron-man blanket he had insisted Loki buy, along with a pair of iron-man pajamas. He had to indulge the boy, give him something that would break the shell of the boring apartment. It wasn’t much to Loki, but the god of Mischief could tell it meant everything to the little boy sleeping in bed.

 

May sat on the corner of the bed, absently stroking Peter’s hair. Tears once again threatened to fall but she would not allow them too.

 

“I shall get his stuff ready for his departure…” Loki whispered, trying to hide the disappointment in his voice.

 

“No-” May blurted quietly, “No...it...it’s okay...Peter is safe here, but most importantly he’s happy and well taken care of…” The woman smiled down sadly at the boy, “Besides… he needs something constant in his life, I fear changing his living environment would do more harm than good,” She stood up.

 

Loki couldn’t believe what he was hearing. 

 

- _ She was going to let Peter stay? -  _

 

“Oh...Oh! Well, that’s fine with me, but are you sure you’re willing to leave Peter here?”

 

She frowned, “I’m sure, I don’t think it will have a good effect on Peter if he’s living in the same house as a grieving woman…” May paused, sucking in a sharp breath, “I have to prepare for the funerals and I think it would be good for Peter if someone was there for him,” The older woman gave him a sad grin, the wrinkles on her face deepening. It made her youthful face look older, drained with stress and grief.

 

Loki nodded in understanding, keeping his face as passive as possible.

 

“Of course… If you’d like you’re welcome to stay the night, I’ll take the couch.”

 

“Thank you for the offer, Tom, it’s very kind of you,” May replied.

 

\-  _ Did she just call him kind? -  _

 

A familiar feeling flooded his chest, but Loki couldn’t quite pinpoint the emotion. He didn’t care, this emotion was better than the gaping emptiness he felt most of the time. For once, his body felt warm to the core. 

 

“Goodnight, Mrs.Parker…”

 

“Goodnight Tom...and thank you, once again, for saving Peter…”

 

Loki gave her a nod of approval and exited the room.

 

As Loki lay on the couch, his body may have been tired but his mind was racing with so many emotions he couldn’t decipher all of them. All he knew was that he fell asleep knowing that his time with Peter had been extended for a while longer.

 

For the first time, Loki slept without anxiety constricting his heart.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Loki has met Aunt May and she seems to not hate him which is good! Also Loki can't get a grip on his emotions just because he can't understand them, as he doesn't really understand himself yet. Besides teenagers have very flamboyant moods which I want Loki to have. Anyways... hope you guys enjoyed his chapter. Comments and kudos appreciated!


	4. What Will Your Answer Be?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki meets a man with an eye patch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is fairly short, but it is definitely worth it. Besides! It balances out with the previous chapter which was super long! Enjoy!

“Mr.Loki! Mr.Loki! Wake up! Look! Aunt May is here!,” Peter’s shrill voice shouted at his sleeping form.

 

Loki groaned and turned away from Peter, wishing to get more sleep before he had to get up for work. This did not sit well with the child, as the toddler began shaking his body and slapping his face.

 

“C’mon Mr. Lokiii! Pweeeaase?!,” Peter asked this time, giving his body once last jolt.

 

Loki’s eyes crept open, “Fine fine, I’m up child, does this satisfy you?,” He snarled playfully.

 

Peter nodded with his bright eyes and gave him a big grin. Something warm filled up his chest again, but he pushed it away once more.

 

\-  _ This day, the next, a hundred years… It’s nothing; it’s a heartbeat, you’ll never be ready...This is for your own good Loki, once Peter is gone you will be alone again, like how it should be - _

 

The god hide his thoughts far away into the crevices of his mind, not wanting the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach to come back.

 

When he zoned back into reality, Peter was looking up at him with worried eyes.

 

“Is Mr. Loki sad?,” His small voice said.

 

Loki hesitated before answering, “No, Peter, I’m fine- now where is your Aunt May?,” He said, wanting to change the subject.

 

The boy grabbed his hand, “This way!,” Peter exclaimed.

 

The teen was yanked out of bed and dragged into the kitchen where the smell of waffles hit his nose. And there was the woman he had met last night, making Peter and him breakfast, or at least attempting too. The waffles on the plate were almost burnt to a crisp, the tiniest hint of a golden brown somewhere beneath the coat of charred waffles.

 

Peter sat down at the table, his feet dangling from the chair he sat in and his eyes barely seeing above the table top. The boy pointed to the seat next to him, demanding that Loki sit there. The teen obeyed his request and sat somewhat awkwardly next to the boy. He had never actually eaten at the table, as most of his meals were on the go.

 

As the last pair of semi-burnt waffles popped out of the toaster, May turns around and serves Peter and Loki their waffles, joining them at the table.

 

“Good Morning Tom, how’s your head doing?,” May asked.

 

“Ah, it’s better...thank you,” Loki replied awkwardly as he began cutting up Peter’s waffles into eatable sizes.

 

May eyed him closely, a bit suspicious, “Huh… It looks as if nothing ever happened… that’s weird,” She stated as she cut her waffle into pieces.

 

Loki swallowed a bit nervously, what was he supposed to do? He can’t just tell her that he’s a god from another realm and that he can use magic, then she would never let Peter stay with him.

 

“Uh...yeah, my mother taught me a recipe for a healing balm which works miraculously,” Loki’s silver tongue managed to come up with an excuse.

 

May simply nodded, “I see, well you’re gonna wanna teach me that recipe, might be useful with Peter,” She smiled at him.

 

Loki looked at his watch.

 

- _ 7:46 am, I have to get to Stark Tower. -  _

 

“My deepest apologies May, I must be off to work, er...you wouldn’t mind watching Peter would you? I’ve run out of cash to pay the babysitter and I was just going to bring Peter to work but since you’re here I thought maybe you could…,” Loki’s voice trailed off.

 

He couldn’t believe he just asked a mortal for help, what kind of god was he if he couldn’t even handle taking care of himself and a child.

 

May smiled,”Of course! It’d be nice to catch up with my nephew,” She pinched the toddler’s cheek, earning a giggle from the boy.

 

Loki’s heart sunk at the sight.

 

\-  _ She’s going to take him away. She’s going to take him away. She’s going to take hi-. - _

 

“Alright then, I’ll be off, don’t worry about the dishes I’ll do them when I return,” The teen called out as he exited the door.

 

\--

 

His morning was pretty much the same, a few meetings, making Pepper her second cup of coffee, and dealing with file rearrangement.

 

It wasn’t until a man wearing a exceedingly large coat walked into the building. The man in question pulled out a gun and started firing shots into the air before shooting the few security guards which attempted to stop him.

 

The building turned into havoc as people ran for cover or attempted to escape. This only fueled the man more, making him fire aimlessly in hopes of killing as many as he could. 

 

Loki summoned his armour as a stray bullet headed towards Pepper, the gold and green plating shimmering into place along his horns. The teen pushed Pepper out of the way, taking her spot as the bullet hit the center of his chest and bounced to the ground. The god turned to Pepper and gave her a sorrowful smile.

 

“Get the civilians to safety and find cover,” He said before returning his attention back to the shooter.

 

Pepper did as she was told, but she remained behind the front desk, watching the altercation between Loki and the man play out. She heard Loki chant something in a different language and a green glow surrounded his body, manifesting into a flock of transparent, green crows. He repeated the same chant and the birds began attacking the man, biting at his flesh and ripping at his clothes. 

 

Loki took the advantage of the distraction and began cutting away the man, slicing at the back of his knees and cutting the tendons in his arms, completely disabling the man. He called off the crows and kicked the man to his knees, grabbing a tuft of his hair and holding his head back to expose the rough skin of his neck. The man was groaning in agony, blood quickly seeping out of his joints. 

 

Loki placed his dagger on the man’s throat, his cold hand feeling the rapid pulse of the shooter. It filled him with adrenaline to have control over this man’s life, in an instant he could strip the life away from him. A bloodlust fueled by misguided rage had overcome him and all he wanted to do was watch the light from the man’s eyes fade away, he  _ wanted  _ this, he  _ NEEDED th- _

 

“Tom...the police are here...you can put the knife down and let the man go…,” Pepper’s voice called out.

 

The teen blinked and shook his head, the overwhelming need to execute the man simmering down. He looked up at Pepper and saw the fearful look in her eyes.

 

\-  _...She’s afraid of...me?... - _

 

Loki’s daggers vanished and he released the shooter, taking a step back to see that all eyes were on him. The air became thick and it felt as though a vice had wrapped itself around his lungs, preventing him from breathing correctly. He watched as the EMT’s placed the man on a stretcher and the police handcuff him to the device.

 

Loki’s eyes met Peppers, “Miss Potts… I-,” His sentence was cut short as a small tranquilizer dart enter the side of his neck.

 

The teen grimaced and plucked it out, his vision already turning blurry as he collapsed to the ground. He could hear Pepper’s concerned and angry voice shouting above him as he began losing consciousness. The last thing he saw was a woman with fiery red hair standing above him, along with a man wearing an eye patch.

 

\--

 

The sound of a heavy, metal door slamming shut brought Loki back to reality. His eyes shot open and he sat up quickly, his body still believing that he was still in danger. The teen took a glance around and quickly figured out that he was in a glass cell with nothing else in it but himself.

 

- _ Mortals, always so hospitable. - _

 

“So, Tom Hiddleston… or more accurately, Loki Odinson, Prince of Asgard, God of Mischief and Lies” The tall male with the eye patch said.

 

Loki furrowed his brows and got to his feet, walking towards the man as he held back his anger.

 

“I’d watch your next words very carefully…,” He growled, gaining a raised eyebrow from the male.

 

“I’m sorry, did I hit a sore spot, Loki? So tell me, what’s a Prince of Asgard-,”

 

“ _ Former  _ Prince of Asgard,” Loki hissed.

 

“Sure okay, like that matters, what are you doing here on Earth?,” The man pressed on.

 

“What? I can’t stay here on your puny planet without reason?”

 

The man narrowed his eye, “No, because your brother Thor has informed the Avengers to keep an eye on you, which leads me to believe that you’re somewhat of a threat, especially after that stunt you pulled in Stark Tower.”

 

\-  _ Did he really just blame you for the shooting? You saved those civilian lives! - _

 

“I beg your pardon but  _ I  _ was the one who saved all those civilian lives and you  _ dare  _ accuse me of bringing harm?,” The god snapped at the taller man.

 

“You endangered all those people by using your magic under unpermitted circumstances, and may I remind you that you almost  _ killed  _ the man,” The man retorted as his face remained passive.

 

It only fanned the flame growing in the pit of Loki’s stomach, “And  _ that  _ man would have killed many more had I not intervened so I believe you owe me a thank you and an apology for tranquilizing me like some  _ animal  _ and for accusing me of endangering people’s lives!,” The teen shouted at the man, his body shaking with anger.

 

The man ignored him and turned around, his hands clasped behind his back as he stepped away from the glass. 

 

“You know, for some God, you forgot the most important thing about m-,”

 

“Nicholas Joseph ‘Nick’ Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D and the Avengers Initiative, who is clearly standing in front of me to offer me a place with the Avengers…,” Loki said with a monotone voice.

 

Fury turned back around and gave the teen a smirk, impressed with his abilities, “You already know then why I was questioning you,” He stated.

 

“To know where I stand when it comes to civilians and doing the ‘right’ thing, you mortals and the simplicity of it. It quite amusing watching you all fight over problems that have long been resolved on Asgard,” The former prince bragged, a smirk tugging at his lips.

 

The director rolled his eyes, seemingly having heard this speech before from Thor.

 

“So, what will your answer be?”

 

\-  _ Should he take it? It would mean that he wouldn’t have to worry about money for food for Peter and he could pay the babysitter again… No Loki, remember, Peter has Aunt May now, he doesn’t need you anymore. - _

  
  


“Right…,” Loki mumbled to himself, casting his eyes to the ground as his last thought bounced around his head. 

 

The god brought his eyes back up again, a newfound purpose and courage swirling within him, covering the agony and anger he was currently feeling.

 

“When do I start?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! Another chapter! Finally!! Loki is part of the Avengers now! But what does that mean for Peter? I promise to include more Loki and Peter interactions so don't worry! Its coming soon! Kudos and comments appreciated!!


	5. The New Avenger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha visits Aunt May and Peter. Loki meets the Avengers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im back after more than a month! I promise I haven't forgotten about this fan fiction, I was just really busy with school and writers block is pretty tough but here's chapter five! ALSO, I've made some revisions to the previous chapters so it'd be cool if you went to check it out!

Aunt May had washed the dishes as a small thank you to Tom for letting her stay the night. She had left Peter in the living room with a coloring book that Tom had bought him as the television played in the background. It warmed her heart to see how much this stranger cared for a child that wasn’t his. Even with how little he had, she could tell that he had put an effort into making Peter feel loved and happy.

She looked around and saw little drawings of him and Tom together with them holding hands as the sun shined down above them. In some pictures, it would be Tom with a green light in his hands showing Peter what looked to be a bird. Other times Tom would be dressed in a green armor with gold plating and horns protruding from his head. May believed this was a sort of “Hero” complex Peter created for Tom. That should be normal for kids right?

The woman walked into the living room and sat down across from Peter, watching him color in a drawing of Iron Man. 

“Look, Aunt May! It’s Iron Man!” The child exclaimed, holding up the paper for her to see.

She smiled in response, “It looks lovely Peter…” May paused, contemplating how to word her thoughts.

“Peter, do you like it here?” The woman asked gently.

The child didn’t look up from his paper, coloring intensely, “Yeah! Mr.Loki is really nice and sometimes if I’m good, he’ll show me his birdie that he can make with magic!” Peter exclaimed.

May’s mouth hung open slightly as she squinted, “Mr. Loki? You mean Tom?” She asked, perplexed by Peter’s statement.

“No, his name is Mr.Loki and he says he doesn’t like it when people call him ‘Tom’ because that’s not his reeeal name.”

The tone of the boy’s voice made Aunt May laugh, but the information she was being given alarmed her a bit. Is Tom- or rather, Loki, trustworthy if he can’t even tell her his real name? No, it was probably just Peter’s overactive imagination. After losing his parents he must’ve placed Tom as a hero in his mind to cope with their loss.

Peter pointed to the TV behind her as his eyes blew into an unreal size. 

“Look Aunt May! It’s Mr.Loki on the TV! Hi, Mr.Loki!” The boy said as he rushed up to the TV, bouncing up and down with excitement.

Aunt May turned around, and indeed, there was Tom wearing the green armour with gold plating and horns, attacking the shooter who had entered Stark Tower. Tom could be seen as a blur, ducking in and out of the shot as he sliced at the man, glowing, green birds surrounding the assailant, helping Tom take down the male. The footage froze for a second before looping again. A caption at the bottom of the screen read “Cellphone footage of attempted shooting at Stark Tower; Mysterious man saves the day.”Peter turned around to look at Aunt May, a worrying gaze etched across his face. 

“Aunt May… is Mr.Loki okay?,” he questioned as he looked down upon his feet, tears sprung to his eyes, “I hope Mr.Loki is okay…”

May’s heart broke hearing the helplessness in Peter’s voice. She knelt down in front of him and wiped his tears.

“I’m sure he’s fine, Peter. He’s a big boy, he can take care of himself,” the woman whispered gently, picking up Peter as she heard a knock on the door.

She edged cautiously to the door, searching through the peephole. Surprised only to see a woman is what seemed to be a skin-tight leather suit with short red hair. This only perplexed her further, but she opened the door, leaving the safety chain on so that the door wouldn’t open all the way.

“Can I help you?” May inquired.The woman on the other side gave her a tight smile.

”Yes, you can, May Parker. I’m Agent Romanoff from S.H.I.E.L.D and I would like to speak to you about Loki, also known as Tom Hiddleston.” Romanoff replied in one swift sentence.

May stood there gaping for a moment before letting Agent Romanoff into the apartment. The older woman held Peter a little tighter, a nervousness forming in the pit of her stomach.

Peter immediately recognized the woman standing in front of him and squirmed his way out of Aunt May’s arms.

“Aunt May, Look! It’s Black Widow! She’s part of the Avengers!” The child exclaimed with joy. He ran up to the Avenger, gleaming up at the woman.

“You’re so cool and strong!... How, uhm, how do I defeat bad guys like you do?,” Peter mumbled shyly, casting his eyes down.

Natasha smiled warmly, finding the child’s shyness adorable. “Well, the first step is listening to your Aunt.”

Peter let out a soft giggle. “Got it! See, Aunt May! I’m gonna be an Avenger!” Aunt May ruffled Peter’s as they made their way into the living room.

“Now please, take a seat — Sorry for the mess, Peter was just coloring.” Aunt May explained as she began tidying up a bit, setting the crayons back in their box.

Agent Romanoff took her seat on the couch, not trying to intimidate the older lady by standing up.

“I’m sure you’ve already seen the news and what has occurred late this morning…” The Agent said with little emotion.

Aunt May was sitting down on the armchair across from the woman,picking up Peter and bouncing him up and down on her knee, “Is Tom- I mean, Loki… Is he alright?,” She responded with a quiver in her voice.

The Agent nodded, which eased Aunt May’s anxiety.

“Loki is currently in the Avenger’s compound being questioned by our director,” Romanoff stated matter-of-factly before continuing, “What is your connection to Loki and how long have you known him? It’s important we get every detail about Loki just to know what kind of being we’re dealing with here.” The woman said cooly.

“I only met him last night. He was trying to steal Peter’s legal document’s from my late brother-in-law’s house. He said he needed them to enroll Peter into a preschool…” May’s voice trailed off, a mournful expression making its way onto her face. Thin wrinkles lined her youthful skin, adding decades to her that hadn’t been there earlier. She quickly regained herself as she continued, “But, Loki was the one who has been taking care of Peter ever since...you know…” Aunt May bit her lip to prevent herself from continuing. Agent Romanoff gave Aunt May a look of understanding. “I’m sorry for your loss, Mrs. Parker, but please continue.”

“Right…,” May sucked in a breath, “Loki has been watching over Peter for about a month now and from what I can see, he has done everything he can with his budget to make the boy as comfortable and well-cared for as possible.” She said as she looked down at the toddler sitting in her lap, playing with a Captain America and Iron Man action figure and making sound effects.

Agent Romanoff stared attentively at May, soaking in the information. May had given her everything she needed, despite not saying much. By the way May held her shoulders, the agent could tell that the older woman somewhat trusted Loki, but the fidget in her leg told otherwise. The older woman did not really enjoy being in Loki’s apartment, especially because of the area and how bare it was. Despite her feelings, she still stayed because Peter felt safer here.

Peter, on the other hand, was a different story. He blindly trusted and loved Loki, seeing him as an older brother, or perhaps even a father. Some would say that children are the best a judging people because of their innocence, but that makes them susceptible to persuasion. 

Based on this information, she could assume that Loki a person the Avenger’s could rely on.

“I see, well, thank you for your time. I have to get back to the Avenger’s compou—” Her sentence was cut off by Peter’s excitement.

“Is Mr. Loki an Avenger now?! Does he get to beat up bad guys!? Oh! Has he met Iron Man?!” The child exclaimed. He was practically vibrating out of his skin, a starry look in his baby, brown eyes. They truly held an innocence to them, something the Agent could never regain.

“That’s all up to Loki, if he proves to be a valuable asset.” She said, mostly talking to May.

“Can we see him!? I wanna see Mr. Loki!,” Peter cheered as he jumped out of Aunt May’s lap, running up to Agent Romanoff’s legs and jumping on his toes, “Please please pleeeeeeaaase?!” The toddler exaggerated for emphasis.

“Peter! Leave Agent Romanoff alone, she has to get going. I’m sure she has very important business to attend too.” The woman said as she grabbed Peter by his arm and drew his small frame away from Agent Romanoff’s legs.

The agent didn’t seem to mind, simply shrugging it off. She didn’t bother answering Peter’s question, hoping that the child had forgotten about it, but Peter didn’t let up, clearly very insistent on seeing the god.

“No! Aunt May! I want to see Mr. Loki! I want to make sure he’s okay! Aunt May!” The boy wriggled in her grasp, shouting.

The ringing of Agent Romanoff’s phone cut through the noise.

“Yes, Fury?” She said in a monotone voice.

“Our guest has requested to see May and Peter Parker.” The voice replied.

“Yes, sir.” With that, she hung up and kneeled down to Peter’s height. 

“Looks like you got your wish, kid. Loki wants to see you two.” She said as she stood back up.

Had Peter not been held by the hand by Aunt May, Natasha was sure the tiny kid would have jumped out of his skin.

“Yay! D’you hear that Aunt May!? Mr. Loki wants to see us!” The child was vibrating with joy. May smiled down at Peter, running her hands through his miskept hair. “I heard, Peter,” she gazed towards the other woman, “How will we be getting there?” The older woman questioned.

“By jet, Mrs. Parker,” Agent Romanoff commanded as she walked out the door, “Follow me.”

\--

They arrived at the Avenger’s tower and made their way down to the conference room where Loki could be seen sitting at the head of the table. He was playing with his hands by conjuring up different animalistic illusions, though there was a noticeable shaking in his hands.

At the first sight of Loki, Peter let go of Aunt May and immediately ran to the teen.

“Mr. Loki, Mr. Loki! You’re okay!” Peter’s shrill voice caught Loki’s attention. The teen’s expression faltered before being covered up again with a small grin.

Loki got up out of his seat and bent down awkwardly as Peter hugged his long legs. 

“Of course I’m okay Peter.” He said quietly. Right now he just wanted it to be him and Peter, them alone so that he doesn’t have to be afraid of showing too much of himself.

Peter looked up at Loki, his eyes gleaming brightly in the natural light of the room. Those eyes held an innocence to them, and an endless amount of love for a monster like himself. Peter let go of Loki and glanced up at the teen, “Are you an Avenger now Mr. Loki?.” The boy asked. Loki huffed, letting out a small laugh, “I suppose I am an Avenger.”

The child was practically brewing with excitement. Loki was to be an Avenger! An actual superhero like Captain America and Ironman! But those two could never compete with Loki because Loki was the only hero Peter needed.

“I saw you on TV, Mr. Loki! You were fighting the bad man like a real hero! It was so cool!” Peter was almost out of breath from all his shouting.

“Oh really? You thought that was impressive? Well, now I’m going to be running with the big guns taking down real villains liiiike — the tickle monster!,” Loki had knelt down and began tickling the boy’s stomach, an uproar coming from the toddler’s mouth.

“You’re silly, Mr. Loki! You could never be a monster!” The child stated with sincerity as he managed his way out of Loki’s tickle attack. 

Loki had put on a smile for the child while Peter’s word rang through his head. A light feeling filled his entire body, and for the first time he felt as if a weight had been lifted off his chest. 

\- You could never be a monster! You could never be a monster! You could NEVER be a monster! -

And yet, he could feel the devil lurking in the back of his mind and his heart constricted once more. The dark presence in his head making itself known again to get rid of the light that had entered his heart.

\- You’re really going to let a child dictate what you think you are? You’re a foul being, the monster mortal parents tell their children at night. God of Mischief and Lies, what more is there to you, fool! -

Loki’s lip quivered as he mentally pushed that demon away from his thoughts. He brought his attention back to Peter and ruffled his hair.

“Oh well, I am many things Peter, and it may just surprise you.” the teen said huskily.  
Peter released a giggle, bopping Loki’s nose, “Mmmmmm, I don’t think so! Nothing can surprise me!”

“Sorry to interrupt the moment, but the meeting is about to start, Loki.” Agent Romanoff warned as Director Fury followed by the rest of the Avengers, except for Thor entered the room .

Peter’s mouth fell open as he saw the Captain America walk into the room and take a seat at the conference table. He watched as Hawkeye and Dr. Banner found their place at the table alongside Cap. The boy quickly regained himself and tugged on Loki’s sleeve.

“Mr. Loki is that really the Avengers!?...Wait… Where’s Iron-”

“Sorry, not sorry I’m late. Yanno, important billionaire stuff to attend to especially when your enterprise is attacked by a crazy person with a gun.” The infamous voice of the one and only Tony Stark called out as he made his appearance in the room, Pepper following behind him with an indifferent look on her face. Loki smirked at the look on Peter’s face, “I told you, you can still be surprised.” He whispered in Peter’s ear.

Peter forced his lower lip out into a pout before grabbing Loki’s hand and dragging him into a seat at the table. Loki made himself comfortable in his chair and pulled Peter into his lap as Fury stood at the head of the piece of furniture.

“We’re here to discuss the joining of a new member to the Avengers initiative. Loki has magical abilities that could be of use to us when the need arises.” Fury explained.

“But first,” Cap interrupted, “Introductions.” The soldier said with warmth in his tone as he glanced over to Loki. “I’m Cap-” 

“Look, old timer, the godling doesn’t need introductions, we’re the Avengers.” Tony interjected. 

Cap rolled his eyes in response, letting out an exasperated sigh. “Ever heard of mannerism, Tony?” 

The billionaire pondered for a moment. “Hmmm, Nope, not ringing a bell, but since you got the introductions started might as well finish them.” Tony said as he stood from his seat, making eye contact with the teen. “I’m Tony Stark aka Iron man if you didn’t already know, and thanks, by the way, for saving Pepper from the lunatic at Stark Tower.” The entire room was silent with shock, clearly not believing what they had just heard.

“Wait wait wait, run that back again. Did Tony just thank someone for once?” Hawkeye said with disbelief. 

The team laughed at his comment while a not-so-amused Tony Stark sulked in his seat. “Don’t get used to it Birdboy, I only thank people I appreciateー now remind me, when have you done anything worth appreciating?” Tony snapped back at Hawkeye, though there was no real venom behind it.

Hawkeye laughed at Tony’s comment and turned to Loki, who was currently bouncing Peter up and down on his leg, more out of nervousness than anything, “Ignore him, the only thing in that helmet of his is air, I’m Hawkeye by the way, but you can call me Clint.” The archer quickly said before Tony could come up with another sarcastic remark. 

All eyes went to Dr. Banner as his turn had come up, “Bruce Banner, I think it would be best if the other guy didn’t introduce himself right at this moment.” The scientist mumbled, rubbing his hands together and fidgeting in his seat.

Loki nodded in response, giving him a strained smile. He had heard tales of the green beast, and was not exactly what one would call “excited” to meet the Hulk. Although, his human form was most pleasing to Loki, perhaps he would become good friends with the man.

The red-haired woman spoke up next, “Coraline, Coraline Sanders.” She said with ease, but Loki glared at her, his nose scrunching up from her lie. “You’re lying, Ms. Natasha Romanoff,” He smirked up at her, “But thank you for the test, I admire your instinct to protect your identity. You and I aren’t so different.” Natasha gave Loki a polite nod, as if to say he passed her small trial. 

The rest of the Avenger’s seemed impressed with Loki’s skill to detect any lie and their response to his ability filled his heart with joy. Usually his ability to see through any lie would irritate others as he would call them out on it. At least with the Avenger’s his power would not be shunned, but instead allowed to grow and thrive. The thought of finally being accepted caused a small smile to make its way across his face. His body relaxed and he brought Peter closer to his chest, hugging him with all the affection he could muster.

Peter returned the hug, resting his cheek against Loki’s arm as he gripped onto it with all his soul. The team, including Aunt May, watched the pair closely, seeing how strong of a bond the two boys had. Loki was foolishly letting himself appear vulnerable in front of the Avengers. A big mistake, because now they were intrigued. Intrigued to find out what made Loki this way.

“We all have our stories and things we want,” Tony’s voice cut through the thick tension of the room, causing all eyes to turn on him, “but why are you here really, you could’ve rejected Fury’s offer and returned to your normal life, but you didn’t so why, what do you plan on gaining here, Loki?”

Loki kept his head down, his lip quivering as he thought of his answer. He could feel his heart racing in his chest, an endless drum that was pounding against his rib cage.

\- Damn Stark, why did he have to dive into his vulnerability. -

The teen looked like a small, frightened child in the eyes of the team as he hugged Peter closer to his body for security. Finally Loki took a deep breath and calmed himself, finding his voice once again. 

“A family… A place where I belong, a home.” The teen said barely above a whisper. 

An aura of acceptance seemed to fill the room at his answer. They had all been there, they knew what he was experiencing and had already decided not to let him deal with it alone.

It was at that moment that the building shook, the sound of the Bifrost opening and closing right above their heads. It was the sound of a former home to Loki. The team stood up from their seats as the elevator pinged opened. Out stepped the God of Thunder.

“It’s good to see you again, brother.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! Thor is back even though he was never really gone, but he's such a cool character to write and I just couldn't resist putting him in at the end! Comments and Kudos appreciated!


	6. Dimensions Apart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter gets bullied. Loki has visions.

“Thor…” Loki said breathlessly as the shock of seeing his brother again sunk in. There was a fear to it as well that sent his heart racing and his blood rushing in his ears. He didn’t want to go back. Not to Asgard. Not to the place where he hadn’t been accepted. He set Peter down and rose from his seat, backing away as far as possible from his brother. He had to leave. He had to escape, he had to —

 

“Thor!” Peter exclaimed as he ran over to the god of Thunder, who looked down at the child in surprise. 

 

“Hello, small child, what is your name?” Thor questioned as the child admired Mjolnir with great curiosity.

 

“I’m Peter! Can I hold your hammer?!” 

 

The god let out a laugh at that. “Only the worthy are able to lift the hammer of Thor, surely someday you may be able to.” Peter frowned at the god, but accepted his words.

 

Loki looked on in panic as the team went over to greet his brother, the Avengers clearly happy to see his brother. They were going to leave him. Peter was going to leave him. He was going to be alone again, all because of his idiot brother. It was always  _ Thor  _ who had to steal every good thing in his life, everyone and everything was always attracted to his brother. He could feel his breathing begin to speed up, his lungs desperately trying to fill up with air, yet coming to the result that left him feeling breathless and lightheaded. Everything was going to fast and too slow at the same time. His mind couldn’t concentrate on the hand that was on his shoulder.

 

“Hey, kid, are you alright? Jarvis, check his vitals.” The voice called out to Loki, bringing him back down to reality. 

 

“It seems, sir, that Loki is experiencing a panic attack.” The sentient voice explained from above. 

 

Tony frowned. “You’re okay, Loki, you’re safe with us.” Tony whispered gently to the godling. Loki looked at him with the eyes of a frightened wild animal, his heart still pounding quickly against his chest. 

 

\-  _ They haven’t left you yet. They’re still here. You’re safe. - _

 

Loki’s shoulders sagged as the tension left his body, his breathing slowing down and his heart no longer threatening to burst from his chest. Tony flashed Loki a reassuring smile and patted his shoulder. His mind was still recollecting itself, no longer in a state of panic, but the rage and anger remained.

 

“ _ Thor!” _ The godling hissed harshly. The name felt too foreign and too familiar on his tongue. The god in question turned his attention back to him, a worried smile crossing his features. 

 

“Brother, I’m glad you’re ok—” 

 

“ **_Don’t_ ** call me that!  _ We  _ are  **_not_ ** brothers, nor would I ever  _ want  _ to be brothers with a blubbering oaf like you!” Loki growled to the god, rushing forward and summoning a dagger and threatening him to slice his throat. Thor remained unphased at Loki’s antics, though his face twisted into a grimace at the sound of his words. 

 

“Loki, M —” another interruption. “ **_Why_ ** are you here!? To take me to that wretched place you call home?! You must be mistaken if you thin —”  Thor clasped his hand over Loki’s mouth to silence him, causing the younger god to struggle beneath his hand. 

 

“Mother sent me here, Loki.” The younger god froze at that, his features softening and his dagger vanishing from his hand.

 

Thor removed his hand from Loki’s mouth as his brother’s rage disappeared. “Mother?...” The godling breathed out, looking up at Thor with longing in his eyes. 

 

“She worries for you, Loki, as you are without a majority of your powers. She has sent me here to Midgard to watch over you, or ‘have your back’ as the mortals say.” Thor’s smile gleamed down at his younger brother, simply glad to be able to see him again.

 

Loki scrunched up his nose at Thor’s words and huffed, “I am not in _need_ of being watched over. I was doing just fine on my own,” A pause. “Have you even _thought_ about convincing **_father_** to remove the curse which binds my magic?” The godling snarled and pushed pass Thor. 

 

“I know that Loki, but with you joining my fellow Avengers and not having access to your full potential, I agree with Mother in having me here with you.” Thor grabbed Loki’s wrist, stopping him from leaving. The teen pulled his arm away and glared at Thor, enraged that his words actually made sense. 

 

“ _ Fine _ , I will...tolerate you, under the condition that when I request to be alone, you  **_will_ ** leave me in peace.” Thor agreed to it, letting the confrontation simmer down.

 

Clint cleared his throat, making the awkward tension in the room disappear. “How about I make some breakfast, in celebration of our newest member?” Loki turned to the Archer who smiled at him and made his way out of the room. The rest of the Avengers began following Hawkeye’s lead and exited the room, with Loki, Peter, and Thor being the last to leave. 

 

Peter tugged on the hem of Loki’s pants, causing the godling to glance down. “Up, Up!” The child requested with his arms in the air. A smile crossed its way onto Loki’s face as he picked up the child and set him on his shoulders. Peter giggled with delight, “Look Mr. Loki! I’m taller than Thor!” 

 

The teen glanced up at Peter then set his attention on Thor, shooting the other god a glare. “Taller than the god of Thunder? Well I guess that makes you a god as well, Peter.” Peter rested his head on Loki’s.

 

“Do you think I’ll be able to lift Myeuh Myeuh!?” Loki chuckled at Peter’s name for Mjolnir, but returned to his neutral face. 

 

“Not everyone deserves to be able to lift Mjolnir,” He glanced back at the god walking behind him. “But I’m sure you’ll be the few who are worthy of the hammer.” Peter let out a small hum in acknowledgement, a yawn following soon after. Loki let the child sleep on his head, smiling to himself as he heard the soft snores coming from the boy on his shoulders.

 

Thor looked on from a distance, a painful vice surrounding his heart at the sight of his brother and the human child named Peter. The reminiscence of a time where Thor would carry his sleeping brother back to his chambers after falling asleep in the library of Asgard.

 

_ \- This will be fixed, brother, I will see to it that we are bonded as family once again. -  _

 

\------------------

 

“Breakfast is ready!” Clint shouted from the kitchen. The Avengers had just been lounging in the living room, making small talk with each other for about an hour. Fury had left a long time ago to go back to HQ, claiming that Coulson was gathering his own team of “Avengers”, whatever that meant. The group, including Aunt May and Pepper, has gathered to the dinner table, each with their own plate of warm french toast. Loki eyed the plate suspiciously.

 

“What is this concoction you set before me, Arrowman?” Tony snorted at Loki’s comment. Hawkeye rolled his eyes. 

 

“It called french toast dumb—” Pepper, Aunt May, and Cap all cleared their voices at the same time as a warning to Clint. Clint glanced over at them before setting his sights to Peter, then back to Loki.  “It’s just french toast man, try it, it’s not poisoned.” 

 

Loki stiffened at his comment, already summoning a dagger to slice Clint with before Natasha intervened, grabbing his wrist and setting the dagger on the table. “What he means is, it’s good, Loki.” Natasha let go of his wrist once he had settled down. Loki glared down at his food as if to intimidate it and began cutting it into pieces. He could feel all the eyes on him as he took his first bite of the midgardian food, an audible moan of satisfaction coming from the teen.

 

“You are forgiven, Robin hood.” The team laughed in unison as the tension left the room, allowing themselves to enjoy the moment.

 

“So you’re telling me you know who Robin hood is, but you didn’t know what french toast was?” Clint asked in disbelief. 

 

Loki shrugged, taking another bite of his food. “I read up on Midgardian folklore and fairy tales to pass the time, cook books on the other hand, not really my specialty.” The teen was practically done with his plate by the time he had finished talking and somehow managed to not talk with his mouthful, unlike Thor who was spouting gibberish while he ate his breakfast.

 

Cap stood up from his seat, raising his mommosa glass as he spoke. “Why don’t we do a toast? To our newest Avenger, Loki.”

 

The rest of the Avengers stood up, including Peter who was holding up his sippy cup filled with orange juice. “To Loki!” 

 

Loki looked around the table and saw all the smiling faces, smiling because they wanted  _ him  _ to be there. 

 

\-  _ They want me here? I belong here? - _

 

The teen couldn’t believe what he was seeing, becoming overwhelmed with a wave of unknown emotions that caused his chest to grow warm. It was a peculiar feeling, but not one that he wouldn’t allow.

 

\-  _ Perhaps this may be the home I’m looking for…- _

 

\------------

 

About a week had passed since Loki joined the Avengers and most had taken a liking to him, key word being most. Loki was now officially banned from entering Tony’s lab after he attempted to switch the wiring in one of the new suits Tony was working on, causing a small explosion to occur. The mischievous teen had manage to snap a picture of the soot-covered, angry Tony before being kicked out of the lab. He made extra copies to give to the Avengers later.

 

The one thing Loki had been grateful for is that he was still able to spend time with Peter. Loki would pick Peter up from school and take care of him at the Avenger’s tower while Aunt May was at work. Loki was happy, for once. 

 

Now, Loki was waiting outside the school gates for his joyful child, the sounds of cars pulling up and passing by filling his ears. He looked up to the sky, basking in the sun’s rays.

 

\-  _ If it’s all the same to you, I’ll have that drink now…-  _

 

Loki clutched his head, groaning as a sharp pain ran through his skull. Images of a man beaten and bruised on the floor of the Avenger’s tower flashing in his mind . The sharp pain in his head subsided, being replaced with a dull throbbing.

 

“What the hel was that?” He hissed to himself as the school bell rang. 

 

Peter was out of class now. A horde of tiny humans running out of the school gates confirmed that thought, an unrealistic amount of screaming and yelling coming from the mass of bodies. This was Loki’s reality, and by the gods how he loved it. He could practically feel the mischievous energy radiating off of the children. It always gave him a surge of energy, his magic pricking at the tips of his fingers.

 

He watched the crowd thin out, searching for the familiar mop of wavy, brown hair of his Peter. Loki saw as his Peter trudged out of the gates, his head down and his hand in his pockets. The godling quickly made his way to the boy, kneeling down to his eye level.

 

“Peter, what’s wrong?,” The teen lifted up the Peter’s chin so that he could see his face, revealing the tears running down his cheeks. Peter wriggled out of Loki’s grasp, pushing him away.

 

“Go away! I don’t want you!” The words cut through Loki like a knife, but he didn’t let it show.

 

“Peter...What happened?”

 

“Stop it! Go away! I want my real parents! I want my mom!” At that, Loki’s guard cracked ever so slightly, sadness dripping from the cracks in his façade.

 

The godling closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath as he collected his emotions. “Forgive me, Peter.” He whispered as he placed his fingertips to Peter’s temples. In an instant Loki saw the memory which caused Peter so much distress.

 

\-  **_“I’m telling you! I really met Iron Man!,” Peter exclaimed to his classmates during recess, the Iron Man figurine that Loki had gotten him in his hand . All the children were sitting around Peter as he told the story of how he met the Avengers, a chorus of “oohs” and “ahs” coming from the crowd. “I asked Thor if I could hold his hammer and he said that maybe one day even I could be worthy!”_ **

 

**_“Liar! You didn’t meet the Avengers!” A voice called out from behind Peter. Almost immediately the crowd of kids surrounding Peter disappeared at the voice._ **

 

**_Peter turned around and looked at the older child, seeing his two of his “henchmen” standing behind him for intimidation, one with blond hair and the other with black. “Yuh-huh! Did too!” Peter whined in their faces._ **

 

**_“Oh yeah?,” The bully shoved Peter on the ground, snatching his figurine in the process. “Lets see how Iron Man likes it if I do THIS!” The boy broke off the head of the poor figurine, throwing it to the ground before beginning to stomp on it._ **

 

**_“Stop it! Thats mine!” Peter attempted to grab his figurine but was pushed down again by one of the other boys._ **

 

**_“Know your place, freak!” The blond boy said._ **

 

**_“Aw look at him, he’s gonna cry!” The boy with black hair teased. The three boys laughed at Peter as they continued to destroy his figurine._ **

 

**_“Stop it! Please! Mr. Loki gave that to me!” Peter pleaded once more, but to no avail._ **

 

**_The leader of the group turned to Peter. “Oh so now you have imaginary friends? ‘Mr. Loki’, How cute, only a baby has imaginary friends. Baaaby!”_ **

 

**_The two other boys joined in. “Peter Parker is a baaaby!” They sang in unison._ **

 

**_Once they had stopped destroying Peter’s figurine, they kicked over the remnants to the crying child. Peter grabbed the broken toy, attempting to put it back together only for it to fall apart. It broke his heart to see the gift he had gotten from Loki broken and trashed._ **

 

**_“That’s right, go home and cry to your mommy, you freak!” The leader said before marching away triumphantly. The two other boys followed suit, laughing joyfully at what they had done._ ** -

 

Loki let go of Peter’s head, letting the memory fade away as he ungracefully fell to his knees, feeling the affects of the power usage. Looking through a person’s memories was one of the more advanced types of magic that took more than what Loki had. He gazed upon the now sleeping child in his arms, feeling the sadness and anger seep from the cracks in his guard.

 

“Oh Peter… I’m sorry your parents were taken from you. I’m sorry if I’m not enough, but for now you’re stuck with me.” The teen whispered to the sleeping form in his arms as he stood up, carrying Peter over to the luxurious car waiting for them.

 

Loki placed Peter in the back seat, strapping him into his booster seat and making sure the child was comfortable. 

 

“Hey! Let’s see if Peter Dorker is still around, maybe he’ll have more stuff for us to break!” A familiar voice called from afar, followed by the sounds of wheels on pavement. 

 

The godling could feel his anger rising from the pit of his stomach, his magic pricking at the tips of his fingers. Without a second thought, Loki slammed the car door shut and made his way over to the group of boys skating around the front gates of the school. 

 

At the wave of his hand the three boys were now on their knees, their scooters turned to useless heaps of metal. The boys struggled against the magic bindings, but only caused them to tighten more. Thankfully they were just children, which allowed Loki to use a small amount of his magic. The godling glared angrily at the bullies, his eyes glowing green with power as he revealed his Jotun form to the kneeling children. 

 

Suddenly the temperature around the four bodies dropped, a thin layer of ice forming on top of the boys. “This is your punishment, pledge to me that you  **_will_ ** leave Peter alone, or I will not have mercy on you next time.” Loki’s voice echoed in their ears. The three boys looked up to the godling, their small bodies shaking with fear.

 

“W-Who are you?” That wasn’t the correct answer. The temperature continued to drop until the three boys pleaded to Loki to stop.

 

“O-Okay! W-We’ll l-leave h-him alone! W-We’re s-s-sorry!” The boys mumbled in unison, their tongues beginning to feel like lead. Loki smirked at their response, waving his hand and returning everything to normal. Nothing had actually happened to the boys, he played with their minds, allowing his jotun form not only scare them, but cast bits of frost onto their bodies.

 

Loki returned to the car and told Jarvis to take them home. He would have to thank Tony later for lending him a car in which Jarvis was installed in the software.

 

When the two got back to the compound, Loki took Peter to his quarters and tucked him into the bed, wiping away the dried tears still on his cheeks. The teen looked over at Peter’s backpack and began searching through it, finding the still broken Iron Man figurine. With a wave of his hand he started putting the action figure back together piece by piece. When the toy was fixed, he placed it on the nightstand with a small note to Peter.

 

\-  _ I fixed Iron Man for you. The bullies won’t bother you anymore. _

 

_ Loki - _

  
  


Just then, Jarvis’ voice called out from above. “Mr. Odinson, the Avengers require your presence in the mainroom.”

 

Loki rolled his eyes at the name. “I’ll be there shortly, Jarvis.” He quickly gave Peter a small kiss on his forehead and headed to the mainroom.

 

Cap, Tony, Nat, Clint, Bruce, and Thor were standing around the conference table, a projection of a video playing on loop in front of them. Tony was the first to notice Loki.

 

“Oh, good, Reindeer games is here.” Tony quipped.

 

Loki shot him a glare. “Is that the best you could come up with, Tinman?” The godling smirked at the ridiculous face Tony was making.

 

“Alright you two, time to focus on the problem at hand.” Cap scolded the troublemakers, bringing their attention back to the hologram in front of them.

 

“There’s been tears in our dimension’s folds,” Bruce stated, pulling up images of multiple “portals” opening and closing. “We’ve located all the areas in which a tear has occurred, and there’ve been no reports of anything coming through these tears, but it’s for the best if we go to check it out ourselves.” The scientist swiped at the hologram, switching to the map that held the coordinates to the tears.

 

Clint shook his head. “Wait wait wait, hold on a minute. You’re telling us that something from another dimension is trying to make its way into our dimension?” The archer questioned.

 

“Looks like it.” Tony added.

 

Cap and Natasha looked at each other as they analyzed the map, both of them sharing a growing concern for where the tears were occurring.

 

“Do we know what is causing these tears?” Thor asked.

 

Loki stepped forward. “Obviously something on our side of the tear is causing this, look at how the tears open, it’s as if a bullet is being shot through the dimensional fold with the exit wound being on the other side. Someone or something is purposefully doing this.” The godling stated matter-of-factly to the other god, trying to get a reaction out of him.

 

“I think I know who,” Cap’s voice raised over the others, demanding their attention. “It may have been a long time ago, but most of the coordinates lead to Hydra’s old military bases.”

 

Tony took a step back, processing what Cap had said. “You don’t meanー” 

 

“He’s right,” Natasha cut in as she typed away on the computer, the symbol of a red skull with octopus tentacles popping up on the screen, “Hydra’s back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAA finally another chapter after a month. Yikes. I tried really hard to get this out as soon as possible but school has been terrible. Also I just couldn't write anything after Endgame, I was too broken. Anyways, we'll finally get to see some action soon and we'll find out why Loki had that vision. 
> 
> Just FYI, I did age Peter about a year so he's 4-5 instead of 3 because I felt that might've been too young
> 
> Comments and Kudos appreciated!
> 
> EDIT:   
> Yall im really sorry! I posted the chapter using the wrong format so the fonts came out wrong! sorry if it confused you guys, i fixed it now :(.


	7. Looking in a Mirror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The portals cause a bit of chaos; Ft, The God of Mischief and Chaos and a Spider.

**_On a different Earth_ **

 

“Mr. Loki! Mr. Stark said I had to babysit you while the team is out on a recon mission so I guess it’s just you and me, huh!” Peter plopped himself down next to Loki on the couch, looking at him with childlike excitement.

 

Loki huffed. “I am not a child, unlike yourself, how old are you again? Twelve?” The god asked.

 

Peter frowned, flashing his big, brown, puppy dog eyes to Loki in attempts to make the adult feel bad. “Actually, I’m fifteen, Mr. Loki, and I am fully capable of making sure you don’t do anything bad,” Loki glared down at Peter, clearly not amused with the teen’s mini speech, “n-not that you’re bad or anything, Mr. Loki. It’s just sometimes you don’t do good things like that time you tried to take over Earth and attacked New York that wasn’t cool but it’s okay I forgi—”

 

“ _ Silence, spiderling, I do not have time for these meaningless interactions.”  _ Loki said to Peter through telepathy. The god left his spot on the sofa and headed towards the kitchen, leaving the teen awestruck at the sound of Loki’s voice in his head.

 

Peter’s gaze followed Loki as he moved across the living room. “Woah! Wa-was that your voice in my head? Cause I’ve got to say Mr. Loki, that was pretty cool how you could do that. Oh! Can you read my mind? Wait, don’t tell me, just guess what I’m thinking.” The teen pestered Loki from beyond, squeezing his eyes closed as he thought really hard about something. Loki rolled his eyes and groaned.

 

\-  _ How much longer must I suffer with this annoying child? - _

 

Loki began searching through the fridge for anything sweet when he felt the floor drop beneath him, a blue and black portal opening under him. It was a vacuum below him, attempting to suck him in. The god grabbed onto the handle of the refrigerator door in fear of being dragged down. “Spiderling!” He felt his grip slip and soon he was free falling through the portal until he felt the stickiness of Peter’s webs on his wrist.

 

“Don’t worry Mr. Loki! I got you,” The teen groaned as he attempted to pull Loki up, but the portal’s vacuum intensified, making it harder for Peter to hold on. “Just a sec, Mr. Loki—  _ WOOAH! _ ” Peter shouted as the vacuum sucked him in along with Loki. The two began free falling through the portal, blackness surrounding them. Loki tugged on Peter’s web and brought the teen closer to his chest to protect him from the impact of the fall. Loki knew how this worked, and he was right.

 

Another hole opened beneath them and they landed on the ground,  _ hard.  _ Little rainbow dots danced around Loki’s vision as he recovered from the fall. He felt Peter’s weight leave his body, and suddenly he could breathe easier.

 

\-  _ At least the child is safe. Who knows what Stark would do if his ward were to be injured under my watch. - _

 

As his senses returned to normal, he took in his surroundings. He and the boy were in a glass cage, two men in black uniforms with red symbols on them just outside of it near a control panel. Bright, blue letters were flashing on the panel, though none of it was of any Midgardian language. The Asgardian words translated to  **_Portal Extraction: Earth 152_ ** .

 

\-  _ Earth 152? What could that mean? - _

 

Loki shoved the thought to the back of his head and returned his focus to the two men outside the glass chamber, who had now started arguing. 

 

“What the hell did you do?! Why doesn’t he have the scepter!?” One of the men shouted to the other. Loki assumed he was the boss, or at least the superior to the other man.

 

“It’s not my fucking fault! This stupid machine keeps getting the time wrong!” The subordinate replied.

 

“Do you know what’s gonna happen to us if  **_she_ ** comes by and finds out we haven’t made progress  _ or  _ gotten the scepter?!” The superior whispered harshly as he slammed his hand on the panel, accidentally opening the glass chamber. 

 

The stench of death filled their noses, the putrid smell of iron and rotting meat intoxicating them. Nonetheless, Loki took the opportunity to escape, conjuring one of his daggers and sending it into the chest of the subordinate. The other man turned his attention to Loki and began reaching for his gun, but Loki was faster. The god gripped the man’s wrist, breaking it instantly as he pinned the man’s arm behind his back and forced him against the control panel, his dagger against the man’s throat.

 

“Now tell me, what do you want with us? And  **_don’t_ ** try to lie, or I might not be so nice,” Loki pressed the edge of his blade deeper into the man’s skin. The man didn’t respond, holding his silence. Loki huffed. “Perfectly fine with me,” The god slammed the man’s head against the panel, knocking him out instantly. “Now let’s see what in that tiny, little brain of yours.” Loki placed a hand on the man’s forehead, digging for information on what the two men were trying to do.

 

Sequences of memories flashed before him, and none of them were good. Loki had his fair share of monsters, but none come close to the red-headed monster that lived inside this man’s memories and was now up to nothing pleasing. Loki brought himself out of the man’s head and immediately turned to Peter. “Spiderling, we must leave at once. We are not safe here,” Loki said but to no response. “Man of Spider’s, we must leave,  **_now_ ** ,” The god growled, about ready to grab Peter and drag him out until he saw what the boy was looking at.

 

It made sense to him now, as to why the smell of death was so strong here. Dozens of bodies were littered in front of the two. 

 

Peter stood there in a shocked haze, unbelieving of what was set before him. “M-Mr. Loki,” He whispered, his voice fragile and afraid. “Th-those bodies… They’re  **_you_ ** . W-Why would someone do this? Who did this?” The teen whispered to himself, trying to get over the shock.

 

Loki grabbed Peter by the shoulders and looked him in the eyes. “ _ Focus,  _ Peter, I need you to focus on me okay? I know who did this, which is why we’re not safe here, we must get to the Avenger’s compound, am I clear?” The god said.

 

Peter nodded, swallowing his fear and putting on a brave face. “R-Right, yeah, okay, we got this, Mr. Loki.” Peter gave him a small smile and that was enough to let Loki know the boy was alright enough to move to safety.

 

Loki squeezed Peter’s shoulders. “Good, because if we don’t, we’re as good as dead,” Loki smirked at Peter’s reaction. “A small joke, spiderling, do not worry, your Avenger friends will aid us.” Peter said as he extended his hand to Peter.

 

Peter grabbed it hesitantly and soon a green glow covered the both of them, their surroundings changing into the clean Avenger’s compound he was so used too. Except, this wasn’t any part of the Avenger’s compound that he had been in, it felt oddly welcoming,  _ \- and safe. - _ Peter thought.

 

Loki’s voice in his head snapped him out of his thoughts. “ _ Well, spiderling, I have to admit, you are as adorable as a child.”  _ Loki chuckled in his mind.

 

“Huh?!,” Peter turned around to see what Loki was looking at, seeing the small form of a child on the bed. “Wait, that’s  _ me? _ Haha, very funny Mr. Loki, your tricks can’t fool me.” 

 

The god smirked in response, using telepathy to communicate. “ _ This is no trick, Peter, it seems we’ve entered an alternate universe, and you’re a child in this one.”  _

 

The teen took a step back, processing what Loki told him. “Wait wait wait wait wait, you’re telling me alternate universes exists?”

 

Loki put his hand over Peter’s mouth, holding up a finger to his lips. “ _ We do not want to wake you up now do we? I don’t want to have to change your diaper.”  _ Loki sneered.

 

Peter looked as if he was about to protest, but decided against it, not wanting to wake himself up or get Loki angry. He took a look around the room instead, seeing how incredibly neat it was, except for the overflow of unfinished books and scribbles on the desk in the corner. Most of them were in a different language, so he shifted his attention to the note on the nightstand that was in English. 

 

“I fixed Iron Man for you. The bullies won’t bother you anymore, signed Loki. Is this your room, Mr. Loki?” Peter whispered.

 

“ _ Yes, thankfully the me of this universe decided on the same room as I did, or else this would have been terribly awkward.” _

 

Peter gazed around the room in awe, despite the fact that it was bare. “Woah, how come you never let me in your room, Mr. Loki?”

 

“ _ Same reason why I don’t let you into Asgard.” _

 

“And why is that?”

 

“ _ Mortals are not allowed.” _

 

“Fair enough.” Peter said, ending the short conversation.

 

Loki closed his eyes and concentrated, hearing the mass of voices coming closer to the room. He smirked at the door, realizing that this universe’s version of him and Thor would have sensed his magic. “Get ready, Spiderling,” He said. 

 

Peter gave him a questioning look. “Ready for what?” He whispered

 

“In five, four, three, two, one,” Loki counted down as the door swung open. “Surprise!”

 

\----------

 

The Avengers were still discussing what they should do about Hydra and how to approach the organization. At some point Loki lost interest rather quickly and began thinking about miniscule things, until he felt the atmosphere shift, bringing with it a powerful surge of magic, coming from  _ his  _ room. Alarms went off in his head as his mind went straight to protecting Peter. The teen looked to Thor to check if the other god had felt the power surge as well, making eye contact with him in agreement.

 

“Be on guard,” Thor’s voice boomed over the others. “Someone else is here.” He said, bringing the rest of the Avengers to attention.

 

Loki started to make his way towards his quarters, not wasting any time to get to Peter. The team followed close behind before Jarvis called out from above. 

 

“I would like to inform you all that, it appears Loki and Peter are in Loki’s quarters together.” The sentient voice said.

 

The Avengers stopped in their tracks, their gazes burning holes into the back of Loki’s head. Cap spoke up first.

 

“What do you mean Loki and Peter are in Loki’s quarters? Loki is right in front of us.” 

 

“Well, Captain, my sensors are reading that Loki and Peter are in Loki’s living space right now. I detect three heartbeats.” Jarvis said.

 

Thor grabbed Loki by the shoulders and spun him around, anger and disappointment evident on his face. “Is this some kind of joke, Loki? Vanish your illusions at once!” He snarled.

 

Loki shoved Thor’s hands off of him, glaring back at the other god. “It’s not me, you idiot! My illusions don’t have heartbeats, use that useless brain of yours for once, all of you!” The teen shouted, silencing the confused Avengers. He stared back at them, anger bubbling inside his chest. The godling huffed and spun on his heel, marching his way up to his quarters where he summoned his armour outside the door. Grabbing the door handle and preparing himself for an attack, he swung open the door.

 

“Surprise!” His voice called out from inside the room, except it wasn’t his voice. Well, it was, it was just,  _ different _ . The teen looked on from beyond the doorway at the two figures standing in the room. Jarvis was right, he could clearly see an older version of himself standing in the room, which mentally ruined him, but that wasn’t what caught his attention. Jarvis had said that Loki  _ and  _ Peter were in his room, but the teenager standing next to the older version of himself wasn’t  _ his  _ Peter. No, this Peter was all grown up, and looked nothing like the small child sleeping in his bed. 

 

“Peter?” The younger Loki said.

 

Peter smiled sheepishly at the teen. “Uh, hi Mr. Loki, sir, uh, wait, you’re my age, uhm, wassup, dude, bro?” The teen stumbled over his words, making both Loki’s roll their eyes.

 

The younger Loki looked up to the older version of himself, who was a couple of inches taller than him. “So, he calls you Mr. Loki as well, you don’t look too bad, old man.” The teen smirked.

 

The older Loki sighed. “I see that my younger self is still an annoying little pest in this universe, what are you, like 250 years?” He flicked his younger self on the nose.

 

“Actually, I’m 847 years thank you very mu—”

 

“Enough,” Cap said from behind the younger Loki, pushing past him and walking up to the older version of Loki. Tony, Nat, Thor, Bruce, and Clint all gathering by the door to watch. “Why are you here and how did you get here?” Cap questioned.

 

The older Loki smiled smugly. “It’s good to see you too, Captain. As a matter of fact, the boy and I are here in search of refuge, and to bring you information on the portals that have been opening up in your world.” He said, seeing Cap stand down but not fully lower his guard.

 

“Alright then,” Tony’s voice called out from the group huddling by the door. “Capsicle, Reindeer games versions one and two, let’s regroup downstairs and listen to this bizzarro tale you have to tell.” Tony said.

 

As the Avengers began to leave the room, the small form on the bed moved and baby Peter sat up in bed, rubbing the tiredness out of his eyes. “Mgnnn, Mr. Loki? Is that you?,” The child mumbled, opening his eyes and seeing the scene in front of him. The child practically jumped out of bed as he ran over to the older Loki, hugging his legs. “Mr. Loki! There’s two of you now!,” Peter looked up at the older Loki, shifting his gaze over to the older Peter. A confused look crossed the child’s face. “Who are you?”

 

The alternate Peter laughed nervously, not sure of what to say. “I’m, uhm, I’m Pe—”

 

“Patrick, his name is Patrick,” The older Loki intervened. “And please for the love of the gods will you release me?”

 

Baby Peter let go of the older Loki’s legs and looked to older Peter, waving at the two of them. “Okay! Bye Patrick, Bye Mr. Loki number two!,” He turned around to his Loki. “C’mon Mr. Loki number one, there’s pudding downstairs!” The child grabbed his Loki’s hand and dragged him away, the other Avengers already gone downstairs.

 

Peter giggled. “Yeah, come on Mr. Loki number two, let’s go get some pudding!” The teen laughed at the god.

 

Loki glared down at his Peter. “Oh  _ shut up  _ Patrick.” Peter pouted at that and followed his Loki downstairs.

 

\--------

 

All the Avengers, including Alternate Loki and Peter, were gathered comfortably in the living room, sitting in a circle on the sofas. Baby Peter was seated in between Natasha and Alternate Peter, deciding that he liked the way he felt near the two. Both Lokis got the short end of the stick and were stuck sitting next to each other, which lead to a few snarky remarks from Tony who claimed that Loki’s “emo” phase never ended. It took Thor to calm down Alternate Loki from murdering Tony on the spot.

 

Alternate Loki pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out an exasperated sigh. “Are you done fooling around, you overgrown child? Or shall we get down to business?” The god said harshly.

 

Clint and Natasha chuckled at that. Anytime the manlet was put in his place, it was always fun to watch. 

 

“Ignore him, Loki,” Bruce spoke up, “What do you know about the portals?”

 

Loki smirked to himself, adjusting his position on the sofa. “They don’t call me the God of Stories for nothing,” He cracked his knuckles. “Sit back and relax, this story may take a while…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got this chapter out earlier than expected, and right before finals week so don't expect an update for a while. BUT the plot is trudging along so we should be getting to the good stuff soon. I hope it wasn't too confusing to tell which Loki and which Peter was which, but I really enjoyed having the doubles interact and I plan to have more of that in the future. Anyways, comments and kudos appreciated!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Thats the first chapter, I don't really have an update schedule yet. I'll mostly be posting when I have the time as I really want to flesh out this story. Comments and Kudos are appreciated!!


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